


Bread and Salt

by mrbubbles



Category: Peaky Blinders (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-15
Updated: 2017-07-15
Packaged: 2018-12-02 16:16:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,601
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11512938
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mrbubbles/pseuds/mrbubbles
Summary: Alfie Solomons x Female Reader





	Bread and Salt

Y/N was placing her pearl earrings in as she heard a knock at her door. Her penciled in brows furrowed as she looked at the clock. James wasn’t supposed to be there for another half hour. With a heavy sigh she pinned her last curl up to set. She got up, her heels clicking across the floor to the door. She cracked it, still locked with the chain, and peaked her head through. Oil stood on the other side, hands held behind his back. 

 

“Boss needs ya,”

 

“I can’t. I have plans tonight,” Y/N went to shut the door, rolling her lined eyes, but he quickly held his hand out. 

 

“You know how he is, Y/N. He calls, you answer.” 

 

“What could he possibly want with me on a Tuesday night?” 

 

“He just said to come collect you,”

 

“Well, you can tell him to come get me himself. It’s my night off and I have plans.” She slammed the door in poor Oli’s face. Y/N stomped back to her dressing table. Y/N pinched her cheeks, giving herself a lively flush, then finished off with some lipstick. 

 

* * *

 

 

James had taken Y/N to dinner, then to the pictures, and now he finished up the night in one of the bars in Alfie’s territory. She knew better than to let him, as much of a gentleman as he had been, take her out of her comfort zone. Alfie would also kill her, metaphorically speaking, if he heard that she was out in Sabini’s territory without any kind of protection.

 

“ _That wop, right, in’t gonna get his dirty hands on you_.” If she recalled correctly. 

 

Now, she sat in a booth, one familiar to her, waiting for James to get back with their second round of drinks. She peaked her head out of the booth to the bar on the other side of the room. She looked to each man, but none were her date. Where had he gone?

 

“If I di’nt know better, right, I’d think you were lookin’ for someone,” Her boss’ familiar voice sounded from the other side of the table. He eased himself into James’ seat, making himself comfortable. He set a glass of gin in front of her, whiskey in front of himself. He eased himself out of his coat, placing it in the booth next to him with his cane. Y/N just stared at him, unimpressed.

 

“Where is he?” 

 

“I don’t know who you’re talking about, love,” A shadow of a smirk was hidden under his facial hair. 

 

“I actually liked this one,”

 

“Well, you know what they say? There’s ple’ty of fish in the sea,” He tipped his glass back. He motioned for her to take her glass. 

 

“More like sharks,” She glared at the man across from her and shot the gin back, taking the whole glass in one go, then slamming the glass on the table. She grabbed her coat and purse, quickly sliding out of the booth. She didn’t even bother to stop as she slid the coat on, storming out of the pub. 

 

“Y/N” Alfie called after her. She ran to the streets, trying to get away as quickly as possible. “Don’t make me run, woman!” He called after her. She stopped, turning to look at him. With the way he hobbled behind her, she could tell that his sciatica was acting up. 

 

“Every time. Every fucking time, Alfie! What was the problem with this one?” 

 

“Oli came to get ya,”

 

“And clearly I had plans. On my _night off_.” She emphasized.

 

“You told him to tell me, right, to come get you meself,”

 

“I didn’t expect you to actually come for me.”

 

“Ask and ye shall receive,” He seemed mighty pleased with himself.

 

 “How did you know where I was?” She crossed her arms, a lightbulb going on in her head. “You’ve been having me followed! Oh, Alfie, five years of this shit! I cannot take it anymore!” She stomped up to him, shoving her finger into his chest. “You are my boss, Alfie, nothing more. You’ve crossed so many lines, it is unbelievable! Am I not allowed to be happy? Is that it?”

 

“No, that can’t be it,” He grumbled, pseudo-thinking.

 

“No, you’re right, that can’t be it. There has to be a more delusional, psychotic reasoning behind this. There has to be, to continuously crush someone’s chance at happiness.”

 

“He wasn’t gonna make you happy,”

 

“You couldn’t possibly know that! Or about the other ones! Right now, I am lonely and miserable, and I’m not getting any younger. My window for marriage is closing very quickly, Alfie, and I’ll be damned if I end up a spinster because you keep scaring away any possibility of me ever finding a man so you could get some sick enjoyment out of it!” She screamed at him, her finger kept jabbing at his chest. “Why me, huh? Does it tickle you to see the light leave my eyes when I’ve realized that you’ve disposed of my date?”

 

“Don’t always kill ‘em,” He shrugged. She took a deep breath to calm herself.

 

“You are unbelievable.”

 

“None of those blokes deserved ya, that much I know. I know I seem like a big oaf, right, but I’m also a man, and I can tell what their intentions are.”

 

“You’re insane is what you are, Alfie. Absolutely out of it,” 

 

“I’m just lookin’ out for ya,”

 

“Well, I don’t want you to! You get to feel the warmth of someone in your bed whenever you feel like it. I have nothing. I have work and that’s it. When I go home, I go home to an empty loft. Quiet. I don’t talk to people outside of work, and the off chance that someone does show interest, they are scared away by Alfie Solomons as if he were the Devil himself.”

 

“Look-“

 

“No, _you_ look, Alfie! You think they’re all unworthy of me? Then show me someone who is because I cannot do this anymore.” Her arms dropped to her side, the fight leaving her. Alfie stood there in front of her, his face soft, the look in his eyes vulnerable. Alfie Solomons was not vulnerable. 

 

“You?” Y/N questioned, confusion in her tone. Alfie raised an eyebrow, daring her to continue. “You’ve been doing this because you…” She shook her head. “I cannot believe this,” She turned, leaving a stunned Alfie in her wake. 

 

* * *

 

Going into work the next day was completely nerve-wracking. Y/N had no idea what she was walking into after last night with Alfie. As far as she knew, she probably didn’t have a job anymore, but as she walked through the “Bakery”, everything was normal. There were no sideways glances or whispers among the men. Oli didn’t give her any weird looks. But, the thing that did throw her off, was the fact that Alfie’s door was closed. She knew for a fact that he didn’t have any appointments today, none scheduled anyway. His door was usually kept open so he could see the comings and goings of his product. 

 

Y/N unlocked her office, closing the door behind her. She set her coat on the hook and got her paperwork in order. Hours passed, and she still hadn’t seen hyde nor hair of Alfie. She grabbed her bag, hefting it up onto her desk, and pulled out the two items that she brought with her.

 

* * *

 

Three heavy knocks on Alfie’s door echoed through the dark warehouse. She heard his grunt to enter, and quickly shut the door behind her. He had his glasses perched on his nose and didn’t even look up as she entered. His pencil wrote in his book in neat writing. He grunted for her to speak, still not looking up. Y/N walked up to his desk, carefully setting down the covered basket.

 

“What’s this then?” He finally looked up at her, eyebrow raised. His eyes were hardened, something that he’d never directed towards her before. 

 

“A peace offering,” She started, lifting the gingham cloth off of the small basket. A fresh loaf of bread and a jar of salt were sat inside. 

 

“ _A_ _peace offering_?”

 

“I reacted poorly,” Y/N began, “But what you’ve done isn’t right, Alfie. I was angry. Very angry.”

 

“So you bring me bread and salt?”

 

“I brought you bread and salt because I can see the error of my ways, just as I hope you could see yours. To just leave you wasn’t fair to you. I couldn’t see that then, but I do now. I just…I just wish that you would’ve said something before that, Alfie. Literally anything would’ve been better than what you did.” Alfie sat up straight and let his glasses hang from their chain around his neck. He grunted, which Y/N had grown to understand was his way of communicating without words. His different grunts all meant something with context. It was unusual, but it made sense to Y/N. 

 

“So what is this then?”

 

“I am attracted to you, Alfie. Anyone with eyes would be, but you’re my boss and I never even entertained the idea of what could be. That wasn’t a possibility.”

 

“And now that it is?” He stood from his chair and slowly walked around to her. With mere inches separating them, Y/N stepped even closer.

 

“Do you think you could make me happy?” She whispered, a breath away from his lips.

 

“Love, I could make you feel much more than that,” Alfie closed the distance, his rough hand cupping her jaw.

 


End file.
